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Published on: July 3, 2013
Engineered luciferases for molecular sensing in living cells
Brock Binkowski1, Frank Fan, Keith Wood
1Promega Corporation, Madison, WI 53711, USA.
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|March 21, 2009
Summary
New intracellular biosensors engineered from luciferases enable visualization of molecular physiology. These advanced sensors, both bimolecular and intramolecular, are increasingly used to study cellular processes in living organisms.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Luciferases are engineered into intracellular biosensors for visualizing molecular physiology.
- Biosensors are classified as bimolecular (fragment complementation) or intramolecular (domain insertion).
- Recent advancements focus on intramolecular sensor design strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review emerging strategies for engineering luciferases into intracellular biosensors.
- To highlight the development and application of intramolecular sensors.
- To discuss the transition of these sensors from cell culture to living organisms.
Main Methods:
- Engineering luciferases for intracellular biosensor applications.
- Developing bimolecular and intramolecular sensor designs.
- Utilizing domain insertion strategies for intramolecular sensors.
Main Results:
- Multiple design strategies for intramolecular sensors have been developed.
- These sensors enable dynamic detection of small molecules and post-translational modifications.
- Intracellular biosensors are beginning to reveal molecular processes in living organisms.
Conclusions:
- Engineered luciferases serve as powerful tools for intracellular biosensing.
- Intramolecular sensor designs offer dynamic detection capabilities within cells.
- The application of these biosensors is expanding to in vivo studies of molecular processes.
